The biggest frustration we've had so far on the iPod project is the local authority connection blocking so many of the things we would like to access. But a solutions is in sight and I realised quite early on that it was better to adopt a problem solving attitude and try and find a way round the obstacles in our path, than to stress about it.
Despite this I have been frustrated today, no Flikr in school and no obvious solution of how to curate the pupil's pictures for their art project on pattern.
That's not to say I'm not in favour of blocking things. The iPods went home today and not before I had personally been through each and every one of them to alter the restrictions and make them as 'safe' as possible. This is what parents have asked for and we value our partnership with them. In addition to this we have disabled Safari and have loaded an App, K9 that acts as a browser with filters. Strange icon, but seems good. I am working towards developing these young people as responsible and proactive digital citizens, but for now they need some help in staying safe.
I started this project enthused by the idea that pupils would have access to ICT twenty four seven. Following that I was wow-ed by the Apps, mainly content based Apps. I soon realised that Apps that allowed pupls to present their knowledge and understanding in new and creative ways were much more exciting than content based Apps and now I am at the stage of feeling enormously excited by the possibilities of social networking and seeing the pupils become creators in their own right. In fact I'm more and more convinced that the future is connectivity and collaboration through social media.
Unfortunately, it's blocked!
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